Lawyer Charged with Reckless Endangerment in Parking Ticket Dispute in Which Officer Was Hit by Car
A Memphis, Tenn., lawyer facing his car being towed—although he insisted multiple parking tickets on the vehicle had been paid—allegedly drove away in his 2008 Dodge Charger and is now facing a reckless endangerment charge.
Christopher F. Donovan was parked a few blocks from Memphis’ Shelby County courthouse when a police officer attempted to have the vehicle towed. It was around 11 a.m. on a Friday, the Commercial Appeal reports, and Donovan approached the officer, explaining that he’d paid the seven tickets on the vehicle. Donovan also offered proof that he’d paid the tickets. The officer investigated, and found that the fines had been paid on another vehicle.
Donovan then jumped in the Charger and refused to get out, according to a court affidavit. The officer attempted to detain Donovan, but the lawyer drove away, the affidavit states, and the driver’s side door on Donovan’s car hit the officer in his left arm.
According to the Commercial Appeal, the court records indicate that the seven parking tickets in question were subsequently paid.
